We covered the basics of staging your home in our last post and inexpensive home staging tips a few posts back; today, we will look at how to make a smaller home look larger, or at least as big as it is. There’s nothing more uncomfortable for buyers than walking through a crowded, cluttered residence. Potential buyers are looking for light, space, and an open feel.
Staging Your Home
Here are some tips to create this type of environment in your home:
- Clear out the clutter. Lots of smaller items, like decorative figurines displayed on every horizontal surface, eat up visual space. Only display three to five items at a time. Store, sell or pack up the rest.
- Display fewer pieces of furniture. Its better to have one larger dresser than two smaller ones. You can put the extra pieces in storage.
- Use appropriately-sized furniture. Having a huge, oversize sofa in a small living room will call attention to how small the room really is.
- Pull furniture away from the wall. This trick will create a sense of greater space. Design a cozy sitting area in front of the fireplace or television, with room to move around the back of the furniture.
- Cooler colors recede. If you have a small room, paint it a pale blue, green, or gray to make it feel larger.
- To make your home appear larger on the outside, paint it a lighter color. Houses appear larger on the outside when painted a lighter color.
- Place the bed on the wall furthest from the door. Voila! The room will feel instantly larger.
- Show more hardwood. The larger the expanse of hardwood floor, the larger the room will appear. Do you really need that area rug?
- Try using one larger area rug instead of several smaller rugs. Or if the room looks good without them, don’t use any rugs.
- Patterned upholstery and drapes make a room feel smaller. Use fewer patterns on upholstery and bedding. Use a solid color blanket or bedspread on a bed in a small bedroom to make the room feel larger.
- Strategically placed mirrors make a room feel larger. Reflect a window or outdoor view. You can also visually expand a space by putting a large mirror over a sofa.
- A well-lit room feels larger. Make sure every overhead light and table lamp is lit, and window shades and blinds are fully opened, before open houses and showings. Clean your windows and screens so they let in maximum light and sparkle.
- Minimize window treatments. The simpler the better. Shutters, blinds, or simple drapes (no flounces, ruffles, or complicated valences) take up less “visual space.”
- Make all your cabinets and closets half-empty. This tip makes it appear you have more closet and cabinet space.
- Clean houses feel larger. Make sure all surfaces, including your floors, are shiny clean.
Remember, staged homes sell 90% faster, according to the most recent statistics released by the Real Estate Staging Association. It is well worth putting in the time and effort beforehand to ensure your home will sell quickly and at top-dollar.
To hear firsthand from our clients about the power of staging your home. For more information about preparing to sell your home and more tips and insight into staging, contact us anytime at 919-813-6449 or [email protected]. Visit us online at realestateexperts.net.